Weren, Wereliger War Hulk, CR 18
Weren is a wereliger. This was created by taking the standard Monster Manual lycanthrope template, and applying using it with the liger animal. The liger can be found in The Bestiary: Predators by Betabunny Publishing http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=23158&it=1&filters=0_0_0&manufacturers_id=680. Statblocks |feats=AlertnessB, Cleave, Diehard, EnduranceB, Exotic Armor Proficiency (underwear), Improved Natural Attack (bite and claw), Iron WillB, Lycanthropic Spell, Multiattack, Pleasing Physique, Power AttackB, Run, Second Wind, TrackB |skills=Balance +10, Climb +15, Concentration +8, Hide +13, Intimidate +10, Jump +25, Listen +6, Move Silently +13, Perform (sexual techniques) +11, Spot +6, Survival +10, Swim +25, Tumble +6 }} ----- |feats=AlertnessB, Cleave, Diehard, EnduranceB, Exotic Armor Proficiency (underwear), Improved Natural Attack (bite and claw), Iron WillB, Lycanthropic Spell, Multiattack, Pleasing Physique, Power AttackB, Run, Second Wind, TrackB |skills=Balance +12, Climb +28, Concentration +13, Hide +11, Intimidate +9, Jump +38, Listen +6, Move Silently +15, Perform (sexual techniques) +16, Spot +6, Survival +12, Swim +36, Tumble +8 }} ---- |feats=AlertnessB, Cleave, Diehard, EnduranceB, Exotic Armor Proficiency (underwear), Improved Natural Attack (bite and claw), Iron WillB, Lycanthropic Spell, Multiattack, Pleasing Physique, Power AttackB, Run, Second Wind, TrackB |skills=Balance +13, Climb +29, Concentration +13, Hide +12, Intimidate +9, Jump +39, Listen +6, Move Silently +16, Perform (sexual techniques) +16, Spot +6, Survival +12, Swim +38, Tumble +9 }} "Clean" Version In order to use Weren without any erotic or suggestive subtexts, only a few changes need to be made. Replace his Exotic Armor Proficiency (underwear) and Pleasing Physique feats with Improved Natural Armor (x2). Remove the chain short loincloth armor (he simply wears a normal loincloth instead); this removes any armor check penalty, which increases his Swim skill bonus by 2, and each of the following skill bonuses by 1: Balance, Climb, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, and Tumble. Also break up the seven ranks in Perform (sexual techniques) as follows: two more ranks in Concentration, and one more rank in Climb, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, and Swim. Details History Weren was born of a dalliance between a werelion and a weretigress. Against all odds, their singular encounter resulted in a conception, and Weren was born as a wereliger. Never knowing his father, who had moved on after his night with the weretigress, Weren was raised in the wilderness by his mother. Or rather, he would have been, save that an overzealous druid, eager to protect the woodland from a “monstrous werebeast” killed her when Weren was young. Hidden by his fearful parent, Weren saw her die. Making his way far from the woods where his mother had met her end, Weren struggled to raise himself. While he was able to get by, with no one to teach him wilderness lore, he never truly thrived, focusing on increasing his already prodigious strength instead with intense physical training. However, for all his might, he was always torn between his lion and tiger heritage. The leonine part of him craved company, but the tiger part of him ensured that every time he found it, he would grow tired of it. It didn’t help the tortured young wereliger that most of the sentient creatures he met were humans, whom he was already predisposed to hate. Weren might have come to a bad end had a certain deity not taken an interest in him. Ferrix, the goddess of weretigers (and, to an extent, all werecats) came across him while one of her avatars was wandering the Material Plane. Intrigued by the powerful (and attractive) hybrid, Ferrix revealed herself to him and took him under her proverbial wing (after spending some time stalking, and being stalked by, him first). Ferrix was a balm to Weren’s tortured soul. She helped to ease his discomfort with others, since she followed an irregular pattern of finding him and leaving again. She also helped him calm his inner turmoil, even managing to teach him to attune with the natural world he lived in to a degree, following the mystic path of a ranger to offset his mad drive to increase his strength. Under Ferrix’s guidance, Weren has found a large measure of peace. Current Situation For now, Weren is content to live and let die. He spends his time hunting for food, maintaining his strength training, and concentrating on harmonizing with nature. He is largely unconcerned with anything else. However, he considers the forest where he dwells to be his, and takes a poor reaction to despoilers or monsters who take up residence. Beyond that, he feels little need to interact with anyone, since Ferrix still comes around to check up on him (and to mate – the two became lovers almost since they first met, and both greatly enjoy their trysts together). Appearance Weren stands over seven feet tall in his human form. His body ripples with muscles, due to his intense training that has helped augment his natural strength. His skin is dark, due to much time spent sunning himself, with light brown hair and deep golden eyes. He has few possessions, wearing only loincloth of padded chain, and carrying only his greataxe, a few daggers, and a holy symbol of Ferrix around his neck. Weren’s animal form is incredibly large, fully fifteen feet from nose to tail-tip. He looks like what he is, a cross between a lion and a tiger. His fur is the uniform tawny gold of a lion, with the black stripes of a tiger across his back. Note that, in this form, the holy symbol of Ferrix remains around his neck, clinging tightly, almost like a collar. Weren’s preferred form is his hybrid form. Twelve feet tall, he still has the tawny fur and stripes across the back of his body, along with the twitching tail. His eyes look even more feline in this form, the pupils becoming slits. Combat Weren tries to never enter combat in his human form, knowing his hybrid form has the same capabilities, but is much more powerful. If he’s preparing for combat ahead of time, Weren will cast cat’s grace, protection from energy, magic fang, and resistance on himself to augment his already incredible natural prowess. If there are only one or two opponents, Weren prefers to fight in animal form. With his natural weapons, and ability to pounce, rake, and strangle, he’s able to end fights much more quickly this way, focusing on one enemy until they’re dead. If facing three or more enemies, Weren fights in his hybrid form. His massive strength is usually enough to carry him through a fight. He tends to Power Attack for 10 points of BAB this way, and if he misses he reduces it by 2 points per round until he consistently begins to hit. Weren only rages if he is losing, or if he feels threatened. Should Weren be losing, he attempts to break off combat. He’ll shift into animal form and flee, using the run action to put distance between himself and his attackers. He usually does his in conjunction with his Sprint ability, usually guaranteeing he can leave his foes behind. All Forms Alternate Form (Su): Weren can assume a liger form, or a hybrid form of human and liger. Changing forms is a standard action. When slain, Weren reverts to his humanoid form, though he remains dead. Severed body parts retain their animal form, however. Favored Enemy (Ex): Weren gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against humans. Likewise, he gets a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against humans. Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Weren cannot be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack Weren by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least nine rogue levels. Liger Empathy (Ex): Communicate with ligers, tigers, and lions (as well as the dire versions thereof). This also grants a +4 racial bonus on checks when influencing a liger, tiger, or lion’s (or the dire versions of those animals) attitude and allows the communication of simple concepts and (if the animal is friendly) commands, such as "friend", "foe", "flee", and "attack". No Time to Think (Ex): Weren is considered to have 0 ranks in all Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based skills. The only exception is the Intimidate skill, which works normally. (Weren has not previously bought any skills based on Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, except for Intimidate.) Rage (Ex): Weren can fly into a rage twice per day. In a rage, he temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus to Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, but he takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class. The increase in Constitution increases his hit points by 2 points per level, but these hit points go away at the end of the rage when his Constitution score drops back to normal. (These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are.) While raging, Weren cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can he cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. He can use any feat he has except Combat Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats. A fit of rage in human form lasts for 9 rounds, and for 14 rounds in animal or hybrid forms. Weren may prematurely end his rage. At the end of the rage, he loses the rage modifiers and restrictions and becomes fatigued (–2 penalty to Strength, –2 penalty to Dexterity, can’t charge or run) for the duration of the current encounter. Weren can fly into a rage only once per encounter. Entering a rage takes no time itself, but he can do it only during his action, not in response to someone else’s action. Scent (Ex): Weren is able to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. He can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights. Weren can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 60 feet; if downwind, it drops to 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at triple normal range. When he detects a scent, the exact location of the source is not revealed—only its presence somewhere within range. Weren can take a move action to note the direction of the scent. Whenever he comes within 5 feet of the source, he pinpoints the source’s location. Since Weren has the Track feat and the scent ability, he can follow tracks by smell, making a Survival check to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10 (no matter what kind of surface holds the scent). This DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry’s odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the rules for the Track feat. When tracking by scent, Weren ignores the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility. Skills: Weren gains a +4 racial bonus on Balance, Hide, Jump, Move Silently and Swim checks and a +8 racial bonus to Survival checks (already factored into above statistics). On running jumps, the Jump bonus improves to +8. As a feline, Weren is a capable jumper and is treated as being one size category larger for purposes of determining his maximum vertical reach. Additionally, Weren does not suffer a penalty if he does not get a running start before attempting a high jump. Sprint (Ex): Once per hour, Weren can move at nine times his normal speed when running or making a charge attack. He can maintain this speed for 5 rounds before he must drop down to normal charging or running speed. Trap Sense (Ex): Weren gains a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Weren retains his Dexterity bonus to AC even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. Wild Empathy (Ex): Weren can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. He rolls 1d20 and adds +4 to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly. To use wild empathy, Weren and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal visibility conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time. Weren can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but he takes a -4 penalty on the check. Hybrid Form Curse of Lycanthropy (Su): Any humanoid or giant hit by Weren’s bite attack in animal or hybrid form must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or contract lycanthropy. If the victim’s size is not Medium, Large, or Huge, the victim cannot contract lycanthropy from Weren. Afflicted lycanthropes cannot pass on the curse of lycanthropy. Mighty Rock Throwing (Ex): Weren can throw rocks that deal 2d8 points of damage with a range increment of 50 feet. (Like all thrown weapons, they have a maximum range of five range increments.) Weren uses his Strength modifier instead of Dexterity modifier on the attack roll. The rock must weigh approximately 50 pounds. Mighty Swing (Ex): Weren is able to make a great, sweeping swing with a melee weapon. As a standard action, he can choose three squares adjacent to one another (he must threaten all of them). His attack applies to all creatures in those squares. Make one attack roll and apply that roll as an attack against each defender. If Weren uses a special attack (such as disarm, trip, or sunder), this special attack affects only the first target; the other creatures are attacked normally. Walls and similar obstacles can block a mighty swing. Start with one square that Weren threatens. Each successive square chosen must be adjacent to the previous square and have line of effect from that square. Two adjacent squares separated by a wall, for instance, can’t be chosen as adjacent squares for a mighty swing. Weren may skip creatures, attacking only those he wants to. For example, if there are three creatures in a row — an enemy, an ally, and another enemy — Weren can choose those three squares for the mighty swing but strike only the two creatures. If Weren drops one of his foes with a mighty swing, he may make a cleave attack normally. However, he may do so only once for every time he swings, even if he drops more than one foe. Liger Form Curse of Lycanthropy (Su): Any humanoid or giant hit by Weren’s bite attack in animal or hybrid form must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or contract lycanthropy. If the victim’s size is not Medium, Large, or Huge, the victim cannot contract lycanthropy from Weren. Afflicted lycanthropes cannot pass on the curse of lycanthropy. Rake (Ex): If Weren gets hold of his target (see Improved Grab, above) he can make two rake attacks with his hind legs (+30 melee). Each successful rake attack deals 2d6+8 points of damage. Pounce (Ex): If Weren leaps on a foe during the first round of combat, he can make a full attack even if he has already taken a move action. If he pounces on an opponent, he can also Rake. Powerful Charge (Ex): Weren is able to inflict increased bite damage after a charge attack. His initial bite attack deals 2d8+16 damage after a charge. Strangle (Ex): If Weren successfully grabs his prey (see Improved Grab above) he can strangle it with a bite to the throat. This deals 8 points of damage each round. This damage is instead of Weren’s normal bite damage. However, if he maintains the grapple for 3 rounds, his prey will fall unconscious, and after 6 rounds it will die. Design Notes Note that the liger used here was altered slightly from its appearance in the aforementioned book: It was advanced 3 hit dice, for a total of 10. Note that the bonus ability point for the eighth hit die was applied to Weren, and not the base liger (since that would have resulted in that ability point being counted twice). Only half of the Strength score was applied to the secondary natural attack damage listings, as per the normal rules for those. Likewise, the rake damage was changed to bring it in line with standard to hit bonuses and damage for secondary natural attacks. Also, the bonuses the base liger had to Survival from its Scent ability were eliminated, as normally Scent doesn’t grant Survival bonuses. Finally, the Charge ability was renamed Powerful Charge for the sake of clarity. Note that Weren’s Balance, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, and Swim skills are class skills by way of his liger hit dice. He gains Alertness as a bonus feat from being a wereliger. Also, his liger empathy ability has been expanded to include lions and tigers, as well as ligers, since ligers are rare to the point of making this ability useless otherwise. While Weren does have more than 20 hit dice, his base attack bonus and saves do not follow the standard epic PC progression laid out in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. This is because, for his character build, the liger hit dice were added last. Natural (as opposed to class) hit dice follow their standard progression for base attack bonus and saving throws, even above 20 hit dice. Weren has levels in Mystic Ranger, a variant of the ranger base class presented in the “Class Acts” section of Dragon #328. As a mystic ranger, Weren has more spells (including 0-level spells), but less combat abilities, and no animal companion. Note that his ranger combat style is the Strong-Arm style presented in the “Class Acts” section of Dragon #326. This means that his first combat style bonus feat is Power Attack. The War Hulk prestige class is from the Miniatures Handbook, and is the source of the no time to think, ability boost, great swing, mighty swing, and mighty rock throwing abilities. Great swing is not listed, because mighty swing is the same ability, just as a standard action instead of a full-round action. Since the prestige class has a prerequisite of being Large size, Weren loses the benefits of it (including the ability boost to Strength) when in human form. Weren’s Second Wind feat is also from the Miniature’s Handbook. It lets Weren, as a free action (no AoO) once per day, regain a number of hit points equal to his Constitution modifier. Weren’s Lycanthropic Spell feat is from Faiths & Pantheons. While the feat, as printed there, is 3.0, it is used here under a “3.5 interpretation” of its meaning: it lets Weren cast spells in hybrid and animal form. He must still use all the components of the spell (and have any necessary foci), and cannot otherwise speak in his animal form. Weren is using the “naked defense” rules from E.N. Armoury: Chainmail Bikini http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=313&products_id=4686&. By taking the Exotic Armor Proficiency (underwear), he is able to gain an armor bonus from wearing loincloth armor. As such, his “chain shirt” loincloth grants a +4 armor bonus. As it is masterwork, he takes only a -1 armor check penalty. As with all combat gear, the armor changes sizes between his human and hybrid forms, but falls off of his animal form. Note that, if ever totally naked, Weren still has a +2 armor bonus via naked defense; as a common sense ruling, this hasn’t been applied to his animal form. Note that a naked defense armor bonus only applies against Humanoids, Fey, Giants, Monstrous Humanoids, and Outsiders, as well as creatures with the Augmented subtype of those types; against other types of creatures, Weren does not receive an armor bonus from his loincloth armor. Weren uses the Appearance score from the Book of Erotic Fantasy. This is used as the ability modifier for any Bluff, Disguise, Gather Information, and Intimidate checks Weren makes. Note that that the BoEF states that a lycanthrope’s Appearance score is the average of the base creature’s and the animal’s Appearance scores. Since Weren has a 14 Appearance as a human, and a liger has an Appearance of 12 (or rather, lions and tigers have a 12 Appearance, so this was taken to be the liger’s Appearance score as well), this averages out to 13. The common sense interpretation of the rules thus makes Weren have a 14 Appearance as a human, a 13 in hybrid form, and a 12 when in animal form. Note that creatures that would find his animal and/or hybrid forms attractive (such as another feline lycanthrope) should probably regard his Appearance as being 14 regardless of form. The Pleasing Physique feat and the Perform (sexual techniques) skill are also from the Book of Erotic Fantasy. The Pleasing Physique feat makes Perform (sexual techniques) a class skill for all classes, and makes it a Constitution-based skill, instead of Charisma-based. This allows Weren to take ranks in it despite his No Time to Think extraordinary ability. Note that, if Weren makes a Constitution check for sustaining sex (BoEF, page 42), add +2 for having 7 ranks in Perform (sexual techniques) and a +4 bonus for having the Endurance feat. Remember that he also gains a +2 bonus for each participating partner that has 5 or more ranks in Perform (sexual techniques), to a maximum of two partners. Weren’s ability scores use the “powerful array”: Str 18, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 8. Weren’s Appearance score is 13, as that is the average of the powerful array scores. For the six ability increases from hit dice, 2 were added to Charisma, 3 were added to Constitution, and 1 was added to Appearance. He gained 2 to his Wisdom for being a lycanthrope, as per the template. His War Hulk levels give him Str +10. Weren uses the Virtual Size Category rules from the Immortal’s Handbook Epic Bestiary volume 1 http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=6118&; because of his high Strength, Weren’s Dex is reduced by 2, and his Con is improved by 4. These are permanent bonuses that apply in every form, and have already been added to his stats. Weren’s bonuses for being in hybrid or animal form are Str +16, Dex +4, and Con +10. Weren's name is based on the alien race of the same name from d20 Future and the Alternity RPG's Star Drive campaign setting prior to that. Werens are large, furry, combative creatures, so it seemed a fitting name for this character. (Character by Alzrius) Category:CR 18 Category:Barbarian Category:Immortal's Handbook Category:Book of Erotic Fantasy Category:Miniatures Handbook